Connector



Patented Mar. 9, A1948 CONNECTOR Benjamin C. Webster, Fairileld, Conn.,auignor to The Bryant Electric Company,

Conn.,

Bridgeport.

a corporation of Connecticut Application June 3.0, 1944, Serial No.542,949 4 Claims. (Cl. 173-324) This invention relates to connectingdevices in general, and more particularly, to devices for ccnnectingelectrical conducting wires.

In electrically connecting a plurality of electrical conducting wires,it is highly desirable to provide a means for eiiecting the connectionwhich is as simple as possible, preferably having but a singlemechanical adjustment for making a goed electrical connection of all thewires. One diculty encountered heretofore in providing satisiactoryconnecting means of this type, is the problem cf providing for adequateelectrical contact where the wires to be connected are of dif- .ferentsizes, as often occurs, for example, at junction points in surfacewiring.

@ne object of this invention, therefore, is to provide novel mechanicalmeans for electrically connecting a plurality of wires, with the connectlng means having but a single adjustable member for obtaining goodcontact pressure with the wires, irrespective of variations in size orsuch w res.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel mechanical meanshaving but a single pressure applying member for electrically connectinga plurality of wires converging toward a single point, under goodcontact pressure.

Another object of this invention is to provi-de novel mechanical meansfor electrically connecting a plurality of wires, with independentcontact pressure applying means for each wire controlled by a singleadjustable pressure applying member.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel pair oi'wire clamping members having a single adjustable pressure applyingmember for clamping a plurality of wires therebetween, with each wiresegregated and independently clamped.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent uponconsideration of the following description or a preferredembodimentthereof, when taken in connection with the attached drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section view through a connector deviceembodying this invention taken substantially on the line I-I oi Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a plan view oi' the device shown in Fig. 1. with the clampingplate and screw removed;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the clamping plate I shown in Fig. 1: and

Fig. 4 is an end view shown in Fig. 1.

The embodiment oi the invention illustrated oi the connector device onthe drawing comprises a connector adapted to be mounted on a supportingbase 2 of insulating material, preferably of a molded insulatingmaterial. Supporting base 2 is provided at one side thereof with spacedintegral side ilanges 4 between which there is mounted a .base plate 6,which should be of some good electrical conducting material, such, forexample, as copper, brass, or the like. Base plate 6 is substantiallyrectangular in form and is provided at each end thereof with centrallylocated anchor lugs 8 extending laterally irom the base plate to bereceived in correspondingly shaped recesses 9 provided in supportingbase 2. Base plate 6 also has integral side flanges i0, and withlongitudinally extending depressed portions I2 located at each side ofthe central flat portion I6 of the base plate, and at each side oflongitudinally extending central ilat portions I8 of the base plate,with the depressed portions I2 adapted to receive conductor wiresbetween side ilanges Il) and central flat portions I8 of the base plate.The depressions I2 are preferably transversely corrugated for a purposeto be described. The base plate 6 has integral ilanges Il positioned atthe outer end of each depression I2, on which a wire is adapted to restwhen received in the corresponding depression I2. Base plate 6 isprovided with a substantially centrally located threaded aperture 20 forthreadedly receiving a clamping screw 25, which is adapted when takenup, to move a clamping plate 22 towards base plate 6.

Clamping plate 22 is provided with a substantially centrally locatedaperture 24 for receiving screw 25, and with a plurality of outwardlyextending integral leg portions 26, which are bent towards base plate 6and then reversely away from the base plate, as illustrated in Fig. 1.Preferably clamping plate 22 is of a resilient material, such, forexample, as spring steel.

When it is desired to use the connector arrangement illustrated on thedrawing for electrically connecting a plurality of wires, such as thewires 28 and 30, clamping screw 25 is loosened so that the wires maybeinserted in separate depressions I2. It will be noted that since theouter ends of legs 26 of clamping plate 22 are bent outwardly away frombase plate 8, insertion of the wires between the plates is facilitatedbecause the act of inserting the wires also causes the clamping legs 26to raiseand permit insertion of the wires between the plates.' In theparticular connector device illustrated, provision is made forconnecting four wires. However. it -will be obvious that I6 ofsupporting plate 6.

plate cannot rotate assasao I2 which could be arranged in radial fashionabout the central apertures -in the clamping plates.

After wires have been inserted between the plates 6 and 22, screw 25 istaken up to cause the bent portions of clamping legs 26 to engage thewires. Wire 30, illustrated in Fig.. l, is larger than wire 28, so thattilting of clamping plate 22 may occur on the screw, or the clamping leg25 engaging wire will be bent a greater amount than the clamping leg 2B.engaging wire 2B to compensate for the diierence in size of the wires.Each wire when inserted between the plates ex tends across itscorresponding depression i2, being supported on a ilange'l and centralportion When screw 25 is tightened and the portion of the wiresintermediate flange l and central portion i6 of the base plate isengaged by a leg 26, the wires are de formed as shown in Fig. l, andheld under spring pressure. Preferably clamping plate 22 is providedwith integral struck-out locking lugs 2l to engage beneath the head ofscrew 25 in a manner such as to oppose loosening movement of the screw.While the screw is being taken up, iianges l0 on base plate 6 preventrotation of clamping plate 22 with the screw, and the base because offlanges i on base 2.

The deformation of the wires caused by tight ening of screw 25, inconjunction with the fact that the wires are resiliently pressed intoengagement with the corrugations in depressed portions l2 of the baseplate, results in each of the wires being in pressure contact with baseplate 6 at least at three points, to thereby form a good electricalconnection therewith, irrespective of whether or not the wires are ofdifferent sizes. This effective electrical connection is accomplishedmerely by taking up a single screw 25, and due t'o the use oftheseparated clamping legs 26, each wire, regardless of its size, will beunder predetermined spring pressure, to thereby form a good electricalcontact with base plate 6.

Having described apreferred embodiment of the invention in accordancewith the patent statutes, it :is desired that the. invention be notlimited to this particular embodiment thereof, because it will beobvious, particularly to persons skilled in the art, that manymodifications and changes may be made in this particular embodiment ofthe invention without departing from the broad spirit and scope of thisinvention. Therefore, it is desired that the invention be interpreted asbroadly as possible, and that it be limited only as required by theprior art.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an electrical connector, a pair of clamp- .ing members at leastone of which is of good electrical conducting material, single pressureapplying Imeans cooperating with said members for moving at least one ofthe other to clamp wires inserted between said members, one of saidmembers having a relatively rigid central portion positioned to beengaged by said pressure applying means anda plurality of. integralindependently movable resilienthf yieldable parts which projectoutwardly from edges of said rigid portion and toward the other memsaidmembers toward d ber to engage and res-iliently clamp each wire. respectively, when inserted between said parts and said other member uponoperation of ,said pressure applying means to eiect a clampingoperation, said other member having projecting parts positioned atopposite sides. of each of said yieldable parts, respectively, during aclamping operation, so that a wire inserted between said members inengagement with said parts willl be bent A duringv a clamping operation,and one of said members having a plurality of spaced 'integral guidemeans for receiving said wires and'holding them at least when clamped,in position to be engaged by said parts, respectively.

2. In an electrical connector, a pair of clamp1 ing members at least oneof which is of good electrical conducting material, single pressureapplying means cooperating with said members for moving at least one ofsaid members toward the other to clamp wires inserted between saidmembers, one of said members having a rela1 tively rigid central portionpositioned to be engaged by said pressure means and a plurality ofintegral independently movable resiliently yieldable parts which projectoutwardly from edges of said rigid portion and toward the other mem berto engage and resiliently clamp each wire, respectively, when insertedbetween said parts and said other member upon operation of said pressureapplying means to eiect a clamping operation, said other member havingspaced de-t pressions formed therein positioned to receive saidyieldable parts, respectively, during a clamping operation, so that awire inserted between said members spanning one of said depressions willbe bent during a clamping operation by engagement of one of said parts.

3. In an electrical connector, a pair of clamp-= ing members at leastone of which is of good electrical conducting material, single pressureapplying means cooperating with said members for moving at least one ofsaid members toward the other to clamp wires inserted between saidmembers, one of said members having a relatively rigid central portionpositioned to be engaged by said pressure means and a plurality ofintegral independently movable resiliently yieldable parts which projectoutwardly from edges of said rigid portions and toward the other memberto engage and resiliently clamp each wire, respectively, when insertedbetween said parts and said other member upon operation of said pressureapplying means to effect a clamping operation, said other member havingspaced depressions formed therein positioned to receive said yieldableparts, respectively, during a clamping operation, so that a wireinserted between said members spanning one of said depressions will bebent during a clamping operation by engagement of one of said parts, andsaid other member also having a turned up flange at least at one edgethereof adjacent one side of each of said depressions for guiding themovable clamping member during clamping movement and for guiding wiresinserted between said clamping members.

4. An electrical connector comprising, a base plate, a plurality ofdepressions formed in said base plate adjacent to but spaced from theperipheral edge thereof, the base of each o f said depressions having aroughened surface, aclamping member comprising a relatively rigidcentral portion and a plurality of integral relatively nar row andresilient clamping nngers extending outwardly from said central portionand laterally toward said base 4plate and correspon in 5 number andrelative position with the depressions in said base plate, guide meansintegral with one of said plates and cooperating with the other platefor maintaining said plates in alignment during a clamping operationsuch that said fingers will engage wires inserted between said platesacross said depressions at points opposite said depressions,respectively, and pressure applying means cooperating with said platesfor causing relative movement of the plates toward each other to causesaid fingers to engage said Wires and bend a portion of each wire intoits respective depression in said base plate and into engagement with anaforesaid roughened surface against which it is resiliently heldby itscorresponding clamping finger.

BENJAMIN C. WEBSTER.

REFERENCES crrnn u The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Paul Mar. 28, 1882 Vogel Apr. 5,1910 Randall Nov. 28. 1916 Hadeld Oct. 2, 1917 McIntosh Jan. 19, 1926Zehnder May 26, 1931 Jackson Sept. 28, 1937 Hubbell et al June 23, 1942FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany 1909 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1926Germany 1941

